Show Originally Aired: 1/14/2002 CALL 1 800-423-TALK
U.S. Auto Industry
Workers leave the Ford assembly plant in Edison, N.J., Friday, Jan. 11, 2002, after an announcement from Ford Motor Company that this plant is among those that would be closed. (AP) Email to friend
Motor City metal, American cars, the Big Three. For generations they've been the engine of this nation's economy, but American car-makers are looking at a rough road ahead. It's happened before: Chrysler, GM and Ford have hauled themselves back from economic doom, most recently with mini-vans and sport utilities doing the pulling. But foreign manufacturers continue their assault on market share. North America's "Car of the Year" is a Nissan. Toyota is just a couple of percentage points from nudging Chrysler out of the Big Three. 10 years ago the nation rallied behind a campaign to "Buy American." It's a quieter call today. Its meaning less clear, as Honda and the others have dozens of factories here, and thousands of American employees.
